


For the sake of unit cohesion

by FortuneSurfer



Category: Justified
Genre: Babysitter Tim, Friendship, Gen, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Humor, Rachel's family, Some angst, Star Trek References, Trick or Treating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 15:00:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21255239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FortuneSurfer/pseuds/FortuneSurfer
Summary: Rachel has to be out of town and enlists Tim to chaperone Nick and his friends to go trick-or-treating.





	For the sake of unit cohesion

**Author's Note:**

> For ktredshoes. Thank her for the wonderful prompt!
> 
> I'm still beta-less and not fully functional, but I'm doing my best!
> 
> I love feedback and talking to fellow fans, so, I would love to hear if you like or dislike the story I am sharing with you!

“Me?” Tim wrinkles his nose. “Raylan is your colleague, too. I believe his desk is actually closer to yours. Why don’t you ask him.”

“Oh, yeah, to have Raylan lose my nephew while buying himself an ice cream or making eyes at some pretty catwoman?”

“Well, at least you aren’t talking behind my back,” deadpans Raylan between them.

Rachel turns to him, ironically raising her eyebrows. “You wanna volunteer, cowboy?”

Raylan glances at her before seemingly going back to work and quietly replying: “Nope.”

Rachel flings up her arms.

“Guys! I know it’s not your damn problem, but who else am I supposed to turn to? My mom can’t chaperone Nick and his friends because of her hip, and his father is not an option because, among other things, he’s doing time again. So, should I miss the conference where I got not only invited to but also was gonna be a guest speaker because you, what? Will be too busy re-watching _A Nightmare on Elm Street_?”

Tim sighs.

“…All right, all right. For the sake of unit cohesion, I’ll watch ‘em.”

“Thanks, Tim,” Rachel gives him a small grateful smile. “It’s nice to know there are some people who are willing to have my back not only when we’re around criminals.”

Raylan shrugs.

“What? I was going to propose myself, but he was faster.”

\---

“I’ll bring him back home by ten.”

“Thank you for your help, Deputy.”

“You’re welcome, and “Tim” is fine, ma’am.”

“Nick! Come down, don’t keep the good marshal waiting!”

From within the house comes the reply: “I’m coming! Just some final touches…!”

Mrs. Brooks snorts.

”Garnishing a catfish with the scallions is a final touch – you, boy, are dressed in toilet paper!” Then, having sipped some more wine from her glass, she asks him suspiciously but perfectly politely: “Tim. Forgive me if I’m too frank… but you aren’t sweet on my daughter, are you?”

It’s Tim’s army experience that helps him keep a straight face.

“Uh… no, ma’am. No. And I don‘t mean it in a disparaging way…”

“You can stop right here.” There is friendly amusement in her eyes. “I can see now that you’re the other one.”

Judging by that look, Tim is pretty sure he knows what Rachel must have disclosed about him, and he isn’t sure he’s comfortable with the fact.

“So, it was that tall devil that was with her when Clinton came here.” Mrs. Brooks slightly shakes her head. She says: “Yeah, he is a handsome one,” like it’s one hell of a damming thing.

Tim honestly couldn’t say if she is agreeing with Rachel’s point of view, or his supposed point of view, but of course she’s right. Thankfully, before it gets more private, Nick, or rather a twelve year old mummy, appears.

“You know the rules, young man. You’re eating only one third of what you’ll collect tonight. The rest is for the weekend. Am I clear? And kiss your granny goodbye!”

As she instructs him and gets her mandatory kiss, Tim can clearly see the relation with Rachel but also where the difference lies. 

“Bye, granny Madelyn.”

When they’re a safe distance away from the porch, Nick says: “Sorry.”

“Don’t sweat it. Your granny is a nice old lady. Although I think it wouldn’t prevent her from being a good warden.”

\---

Rachel’s family lives in Lexington, not in Harlan, which is why they’re actually walking and not driving to the place where Nick’s friends are waiting.

“Where is your costume?” asks him Nick.

“It’s on. I’m pretending that I’m just some regular guy who’s not your bodyguard for tonight. Does your aunt usually wear a costume on Halloween?”

Nick snorts.

“Are you kidding? Rachel’s a Halloween freak.”

“You serious now?”

Tim thinks about the house they just left: it wasn’t excessively decorated – only a few pumpkins and bats here and there.

“She is the one in the family who waits for it all year long and always has those weird ideas about costumes. Two years ago, she and mom would dress as Tia and Tamera. You know? From that 90s sitcom? And last year she told me she was gonna be Lieutenant Uhura this year.”

Tim raises an eyebrow.

“Never knew her to be a Trekker.” But it makes sense.

A look clouds over Nick’s face. 

“She hasn’t had lots of free time to watch it since… the car crash happened. Or really to watch anything.”

They walk the rest of the way in awkward silence. 

\---

“What can I say? Just be good kids. Okay?”

“I’m not a kid, I’m a Zorro ladybug!” protests a little girl, probably a pre-schooler, who’s wearing a costume that corresponds to the strange description.

Nick and others chuckle, and her older sister scowls: “You’re a stupid.”

“Actually, she’s right,” corrects Tim. “You can be whoever and whatever you want tonight. That’s what Halloween is for.”

“And my dad says it’s been invented to make money off all the celebratory stuff,” says a Batman in glasses.

”That too, but the two things actually aren’t mutually exclusive. My point being: be kids, or monsters, or superheroes, or ladybugs, just be good, okay?” Tim’s words are followed by nods from the children. “And don’t mind me trailing behind. I won’t crowd you, you‘ll have your space. But I’d prefer if everybody stuck together. As Nick already told you, I’m a sniper, so, I’m kinda wired to keep my eyes on one target. Also, if somebody’s refusing to give you candy unless you go into his house, he doesn’t have any, and you tell me about it immediately. Oh, and all the sweets that contain alcohol go to me.”

“And what if I promised them to my mom?”

“Then you give them to her.”

\---

Nick is having a lot of fun trick-or-treating with his friends, and watching him throughout the evening, Tim can’t help thinking back to the boy’s sad birthday. He was there when Nick's desperate hothead-father was about to shoot an innocent man. And he can only imagine how hard it must be for Rachel – to live in fear that her nephew might go astray someday, doing drugs like his parents, despite all the efforts that are being made by her and her mom.

Tim takes a couple of cheerful pictures and sends them to Rachel, labeling them: “You’re doing a hell of a job – with him, too. He’s a good kid.”

\---

Apart from the pictures, Tim also sends Rachel a message:

_Y’know, I’m pretty sure you got Raylan feeling very guilty with that whole “you aren’t having my back” thing, and there is a good chance we might actually convince him to dress as Kirk at the office party tomorrow. (I don’t mind being Spock.) But the costumes are definitely on you, Lieutenant._

Later, a reply comes:

_Live long and prosper, Tim. _

And then another one:

_I mean it. Thank you._

Tim smiles to himself when he reads it and decides that it’s not too late to re-watch_ A Nightmare on Elm Street _eating all the sweets he’s been paid in when he gets back home.


End file.
